Coincidences

[The Picnic Wasp]

Weird one this morning. I bumped into an old acquaintance outside Waitrose earlier. Nice guy, successful businessman, and we have a short chat whenever we bump into each other which is usually every couple of years. Last night though I dreamt about his younger brother. I've never actually met him, only recognise him by sight but the last time I saw him was twenty of thirty years ago. It was a weird dream where we had a massive fall out over a work matter. I've never worked with him. Back to today's meet. I've been reading and watching things online about folk with narcissistic personalities. About a minute into the conversation Paul starts to talk about a funeral he attended recently of an acquaintance he had a difficult relationship with due to the guy's narcissistic nature. He went on to describe all the traits I had read about to the letter. Very strange double coincidence.

[Matt2112]

If this thread is anything to go by, between us we're averaging about one uncanny coincidence a month since the thread started - and a few of those are from way back.

It seems it would actually be weirder if we had nothing to report.   

[Fishy]

Sitting on the balcony on holiday and who walks by.. folks we know from literally round the corner at home.. small world indeed

[Matt2112]

Saw footage of the latest SpaceX rocket launch on the news this morning - as it blasted off and the exhaust fumes rushed toward the edge of the screen, an automated air freshener that's by the side of the telly and pointing roughly sideways shot out a jet of fragrant spray with pretty much perfect timing.

[Slim]

I've been listening to Pete Townshend's autobiography audiobook, and earlier in the week I reached Pete's sad account of Keith Moon's death. Then on Wednesday, a guy who used to do PR for the Stones was interviewed on 5 Live and had an amusing anecdote about Moon.

Last night I picked up Eric Idle's autobiography, one of an increasingly dwindling number of physical books I own. I've never got round to reading it but I dipped into it in the middle, hoping to find Monty Python content. I found Eric's reminiscence of how he spent time in Moon's company on the night of his death.

[Matt2112]

For this year's "summer season" of gigs at Halifax's magnificent Piece Hall, bureaucratic numpties have cynically introduced a last entry time restriction, being an hour before the main act. 

Everyone's understandably kicking off about it, but there is a not-widely-advertised option of simply emailing the venue to get your name on a "late entry list", which I did for tonight's Sheryl Crow gig.

Anyway, authorisation was quickly granted, sent by a lady who shares my not-that-common surname.

[The Picnic Wasp]

For this year's "summer season" of gigs at Halifax's magnificent Piece Hall, bureaucratic numpties have cynically introduced a last entry time restriction, being an hour before the main act. 

Everyone's understandably kicking off about it, but there is a not-widely-advertised option of simply emailing the venue to get your name on a "late entry list", which I did for tonight's Sheryl Crow gig.

Anyway, authorisation was quickly granted, sent by a lady who shares my not-that-common surname.

Yes, 2112 is quite rare.😁

[Matt2112]

Second one in consecutive days:

I'm currently at my employer's annual awards bash at a hotel in Doncaster and part of the afternoon session's entertainment was two "singing waiters"; I thought one of them looked familiar somehow, then realised he was at an open mic night where we both performed (and conversed) three weeks ago at a pub I've visited only once, and that he calls his local, 40 miles from Doncaster.

Had a good laugh about this over a Guinness with him afterward and swapped contact details for networking purposes.

[The Picnic Wasp]

Hadn't seen Scotland in a major tournament for 26 years. Switched on tonight. Groundhog Day!

[The Picnic Wasp]

I enjoy watching the Still Game re-runs on Sunday nights. As the episode began last night I noticed one of those Google clickbait articles about the show on my phone. It was about the pub that features regularly in the series. In the show it's called The Clansman, but I knew it is known as The Gimlet in real life. It's not somewhere I would venture myself if that makes things clearer.

However, the article went on to detail a short history of the pub. There was a photograph and caption about a married couple who managed the place in the sixties. They were my next door neighbours back then. I had no idea until last night that they worked there.

[Nickslikk2112]

The boy's put in an offer to but a house. He's been to see a Mortgage Adviser as he needs a bit of care and attention due to being self-employed. The Mortgage Adviser just happens to be the father of the girl the boy's buying the house of.

Also, tangentially, the late father of the adviser is disgraced Sheffield Wednesday player Peter Swan who ran a nearby pub called The Mill. My 3xGt Grandfather James Camomile was the first landlord of the pub - when it was known as the New Inn (Back in 1847)

[The Picnic Wasp]

I was tidying up my desk a couple of days ago when I found a small scrap of paper. There are a few scribbled notes on it with one name being Nightwish. I really had to think about that and after a while remembered it had been a couple on an early First Dates realising they both surprisingly knew of and liked the band. I must have written the name down about four years ago at least and I vaguely remember doing a YouTube search for their material. Later that evening I was reading but I was aware of a repeat First Dates episode running in the background. A few minutes in and I realised it was that same couple discussing Nightwish. Weird!

[Matt2112]

On the commute into work today I was in a queue of traffic behind a taxi whose license number was 2112;

at the bottom of an arcade where the office is, there is currently a sign for a neighbouring legal firm which says, "Get Your Free Will Today";

turning into the arcade itself takes me past a vape shop with a prominent display on its exterior of flavours that mostly end in the name "Rush" (Jelly Rush, Sugar Rush etc).

[Fishy]

This one is a bit lame but I'm having it....

So new month we turn the bird calendar over and it's a nice pic of a barn owl.. I had just done that and the mrs ( who has been doing Spanish for the past few years) does her Spanish word of the day thang..
.. and of course it búho...   Owl

[Matt2112]

On 5th October 2021, exactly three years ago today, FC Halifax Town were playing at home and went 2-0 down, but made a remarkable comeback in the second half to win 3-2 with a spectacular late goal.

Today, FC Halifax Town were playing at home and went 2-0 down, but made a remarkable comeback in the second half to win 3-2 with a spectacular late goal.


As a post-script, forward Billy Waters scored for us in the first game, subsequently made a move to a bigger club, came back to us on loan a few weeks ago and scored today.